Roger Federer’s retirement was very emotional for a lot of people, but very few expected Rafael Nadal to be as emotional as he was during the ceremony.
Federer announced his retirement not too long ago, and it sent a huge shockwave through the tennis world. While not that surprising in context because he’s been away for a very long time, it was still something that a lot of fans were not ready for.
The vast majority of the players on the ATP Tour today grew up watching Federer and idolizing him, so for many of them, tennis with Federer in it is all they’ve ever known. Not having that will need some adjusting.
His retirement was set for the 2022 Laver Cup, which was somewhat fitting as it’s an event that came out of his idea. He chose it because it was also in London, a city where he had some of the best moments of his tennis career at Wimbledon.
The event was attended by all members of the Big Three, as well as Andy Murray, as they played for Team Europe. The ceremony happened after the first day when Federer played his final match, which was a doubles match with Nadal.
The Spaniard started as a bitter rival for Federer but, over time, became a dear friend of the Swiss Maestro, and their bond was on full display during the ceremony.
Nadal couldn’t hold back tears at all and probably cried more than Federer did, which was remarkable to see. People knew that they were close, but very few fans knew that they were this close.
Nadal generally isn’t hugely emotional, so this was a totally different side that people got to see of Nadal, as he couldn't hold back his tears next to his retiring rival.
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